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NeoGAF's PC Gaming Hall of Fame List
- Thread starter kswiston
- Start date
1. Deus Ex- Greatest game of all time and the level design hasn't been matched in the 10 years it's been out. I've never played a game with more freedom to do your objectives.
2. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind- I love Oblivion more but I don't consider it a PC focused game like I do with this. Still the exploration was unbelievable for its time and it still had a ton of rpg elements.
3. Rollercoaster Tycoon- Gave me the thrill of building a rollercoaster that launched people a hundred feet into a crowd of other people. These people love to puke too apparently.
4. Sim City- This doesn't need much explanation. It's Sim fucking City.
5. World of Warcraft- This doesn't need much either, most are aware why it's so popular.
6. Mount and Blade Warband- The thrill of holding a castle with a hundred men versus a horde 3 times that size is unmatched. It's also incredibly in depth and pretty complex too, lots of micro management.
7. X3 Terran Conflict- I'm still digging into this one but what I've played is amazing. Yeah sometimes it feels like you need to be a freakin programmer to play it "correctly" but the freedom they give you is unreal. It's up there in the top 3 or 5 on the most complex games ever list, for sure.
8. Just Cause 2- Another massive open world game that just doesn't give a shit about your cries for realism. Stand on top of a flying jet and jump to another if one is close enough, a sky so high that you can fall for a couple of minutes of real time before hitting the ground, parachute thrusters. The crazy shit goes on forever.
9. Hitman Blood Money- Probably designed as a console game but I have to nominate one Hitman and this is no question the best one. Another game that gives you a ton of freedom to complete objectives (seeing a pattern in my list?) and does not require you to kill anyone else but your targets. Drug their food/drink, casually stroll by and push them off a ledge, choke them with the piano wire, rig the propane powered grill to explode when someone starts it. Simply amazing.
10. Witcher 2- It's probably safe to say it was dumbed down just a tiny bit from 1 but I loved how much your decisions factored into the game, especially the end though it was rushed. If the ending was as detailed and fleshed out as the rest of the game it would have made my top 5.
2. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind- I love Oblivion more but I don't consider it a PC focused game like I do with this. Still the exploration was unbelievable for its time and it still had a ton of rpg elements.
3. Rollercoaster Tycoon- Gave me the thrill of building a rollercoaster that launched people a hundred feet into a crowd of other people. These people love to puke too apparently.
4. Sim City- This doesn't need much explanation. It's Sim fucking City.
5. World of Warcraft- This doesn't need much either, most are aware why it's so popular.
6. Mount and Blade Warband- The thrill of holding a castle with a hundred men versus a horde 3 times that size is unmatched. It's also incredibly in depth and pretty complex too, lots of micro management.
7. X3 Terran Conflict- I'm still digging into this one but what I've played is amazing. Yeah sometimes it feels like you need to be a freakin programmer to play it "correctly" but the freedom they give you is unreal. It's up there in the top 3 or 5 on the most complex games ever list, for sure.
8. Just Cause 2- Another massive open world game that just doesn't give a shit about your cries for realism. Stand on top of a flying jet and jump to another if one is close enough, a sky so high that you can fall for a couple of minutes of real time before hitting the ground, parachute thrusters. The crazy shit goes on forever.
9. Hitman Blood Money- Probably designed as a console game but I have to nominate one Hitman and this is no question the best one. Another game that gives you a ton of freedom to complete objectives (seeing a pattern in my list?) and does not require you to kill anyone else but your targets. Drug their food/drink, casually stroll by and push them off a ledge, choke them with the piano wire, rig the propane powered grill to explode when someone starts it. Simply amazing.
10. Witcher 2- It's probably safe to say it was dumbed down just a tiny bit from 1 but I loved how much your decisions factored into the game, especially the end though it was rushed. If the ending was as detailed and fleshed out as the rest of the game it would have made my top 5.
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
1. Half-Life - endlessly replayable, beautifully designed
2. Doom - timeless map design
3. Counter-Strike - phenomenal gunplay
4. Quake 3 - insta-gib/rockets only
5. Deus Ex - best voice acting of our time
6. Mass Effect - everything I want from a sci-fi game
7. Portal 2 - incredible co-op
8. Left 4 Dead - brilliant asymmetrical multiplayer
9. Knights of the Old Republic II - some of the best characters ever
10. Limbo - perfect combination of art and gameplay
2. Doom - timeless map design
3. Counter-Strike - phenomenal gunplay
4. Quake 3 - insta-gib/rockets only
5. Deus Ex - best voice acting of our time
6. Mass Effect - everything I want from a sci-fi game
7. Portal 2 - incredible co-op
8. Left 4 Dead - brilliant asymmetrical multiplayer
9. Knights of the Old Republic II - some of the best characters ever
10. Limbo - perfect combination of art and gameplay
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - great world, alien architecture with quest design that is still the template for all Bethesda games
- Sim City 2000 - the right amount of complexity mixed with good usability
- SpaceChem - one of the best puzzle games on any platform. It has eclipsed The Incredible Machine IMO as far as PC puzzle games go
- Dwarf Fortress - While everyone talks about emerging gameplay and procedually generating experiences this game just goes ahead and does it.
- Diablo II - The best meta game
- Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
- Trackmania United Forever - already a great achievement and the future of the Mania franchise looks even more ambitious
- The Last Express - as representation for all great adventure games
- Neverwinter Nights 2 Mask of the Betrayer - for it's, by todays standarts, decadently expansive campaign and the stellar toolset
- Thief: Deadly Shadows - king of the PC stealth games
FieryBalrog
Member
I'm generally including expansion packs. Brood War, Throne of Bhaal, Beyond the Sword, so on.
1) Starcraft: The most studied, complex, difficult and exciting videogame ever made. Also, a way to pick up girls in Korea.
2) Baldur's Gate 2: The bestPC RPG ever made, bar none. No, not that text adventure. I miss you, old Bioware
3) Civilization 4: The definitive version of the definitive turn based strategy game. With Leonard Nemoy.
4) Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Countless hours poured into this fantastic strategy/RPG mashup. Indie devs should make more of this and less match 3s.
5) Portal 2: The best videogame simulation of a diabolical Japanese game show ever made.
6) Diablo 2: The slot machine. Time has somewhat diminished my appreciation of Diablo 2, but when I was playing, it was Vegas, baby.
7) Age of Empires 2: Fuck you, Microsoft.
8) Homeworld: The most interesting RTS company's most interesting RTS. Can I haz true sequel now?
9) Total Annihilation: A robot clone commander makes an army of robots to war with the robot army of a robot AI commander. And they fight for 100,000 years. Yes, that's the actual plot.
10) World of Warcraft- I don't even want to put this here. The most fun I had in this game was swimming all the way around Kalimdor.
1) Starcraft: The most studied, complex, difficult and exciting videogame ever made. Also, a way to pick up girls in Korea.
2) Baldur's Gate 2: The best
3) Civilization 4: The definitive version of the definitive turn based strategy game. With Leonard Nemoy.
4) Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Countless hours poured into this fantastic strategy/RPG mashup. Indie devs should make more of this and less match 3s.
5) Portal 2: The best videogame simulation of a diabolical Japanese game show ever made.
6) Diablo 2: The slot machine. Time has somewhat diminished my appreciation of Diablo 2, but when I was playing, it was Vegas, baby.
7) Age of Empires 2: Fuck you, Microsoft.
8) Homeworld: The most interesting RTS company's most interesting RTS. Can I haz true sequel now?
9) Total Annihilation: A robot clone commander makes an army of robots to war with the robot army of a robot AI commander. And they fight for 100,000 years. Yes, that's the actual plot.
10) World of Warcraft- I don't even want to put this here. The most fun I had in this game was swimming all the way around Kalimdor.
Sinatar said:
I don't make it an absolute requirement because it cuts down on participation. However, I am sure most of the people reading this thread do as I do. Quickly skim the simple list posts and read meatier posts with justification in detail.
Already some great posts in this thread. I really wish I still had my copies of Myth 1 and 2. Not sure what the status of the IP is, but those games really need to find there way to digital distribution.
FieryBalrog said:
Agreed. The series never saw the same level of greatness after HOMM3, but Kings Bounty: Armored Princess was a great substitute. I have cautious optimism for HOMM6.
Cat in the Hat
Member
kswiston said:
I am really curious about this myself... I know that Take-Two got the rights with the Bungie/Microsoft acquisition... (or at least publishing rights for one title... this is where it gets muddy) But after the failure of Myth 3 they basically opened up the source code to a group of modders and told the community to patch the game themselves. Whether or not they still own the rights, I don't know, but it's a shame that they (or whoever has them) are just sitting on them right now.
While I still have my original disks, this game really needs to get out there more, especially since once patched there still is a fairly decent online community.
Auto_aim1
MeisaMcCaffrey
1) Paratrooper (DOS): I was 4 years old then, played it on my dad's 286 PC. It's my first love.
2) Half - Life: Well, what can I say. Invented the modern FPS.
3) Age of Empires: Rise of Rome expansion: Spent countless hours playing it as a kid.
4) Thief: The Dark Project (2 points): Unbelievable atmospheric world and a fantastic stealth game.
5) Diablo 2: Spent a lot of time playing this, very addictive.
6) Deus Ex: Designed by developers at the top of their game, it's just that damn good.
7) Baldur's Gate 2: This is how you make RPGs. Splendid writing.
8) The Witcher: Was buggy at launch, but is a fantastic RPG. Love the setting.
9) System Shock 2: Again splendid atmosphere and masterfully created.
10) Crysis: Damn good game, hit the graphical ceiling in a spectacular fashion, unmatched till now (arguable).
I wanna add more since 10 games aren't enough, but yeah, all these games are simply phenomenal.
2) Half - Life: Well, what can I say. Invented the modern FPS.
3) Age of Empires: Rise of Rome expansion: Spent countless hours playing it as a kid.
4) Thief: The Dark Project (2 points): Unbelievable atmospheric world and a fantastic stealth game.
5) Diablo 2: Spent a lot of time playing this, very addictive.
6) Deus Ex: Designed by developers at the top of their game, it's just that damn good.
7) Baldur's Gate 2: This is how you make RPGs. Splendid writing.
8) The Witcher: Was buggy at launch, but is a fantastic RPG. Love the setting.
9) System Shock 2: Again splendid atmosphere and masterfully created.
10) Crysis: Damn good game, hit the graphical ceiling in a spectacular fashion, unmatched till now (arguable).
I wanna add more since 10 games aren't enough, but yeah, all these games are simply phenomenal.
I had to give my two points to X-Com.
X-Com (two points)
Close Combat
Freespace 2
Half-Life
Homeworld
Master of Orion 2
Portal
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Starsiege: Tribes
Tie Fighter
X-Com: Enemy Unknown aka Ufo Defense.
I am already a broken record with this game so here is the short version. X-Com wonderfully layered so many gameplay systems that it shames most modern strategy RPGs. Two decades of Oscar Worthy character development has produced little that can replicate the attachment I had with my fragile field agents.
Freespace II.
The game included everything I ever wanted in a space sim. Then it introduced a sense of scale to combat that simply dwarfed everything that had come before it. Finally, it took its own bombastic plot and blew it up. Nothing I did really mattered. It was fantastic. It is fantastic.
Homeworld.
Star Wars: Rebellion was released less than a year prior and brilliantly demonstrated what can go wrong with a 3D RTS. In contrast Homeworld surmounted that hurdle with an easy to use interface that just worked. It also did a fantastic job with its BSG inspired plot. Every slowly unraveling mystery was accompanied with a proper mood-setting track.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
There are two kinds of progress: the methodical experimentation and categorization which gradually extend the boundaries of knowledge, and the revolutionary leap of genius which redefines and transcends those boundaries. Acknowledging our debt to the former, we yearn, nonetheless, for the latter.
Academician Prokhor Zakharov, "Address to the Faculty"
Starsiege: Tribes.
The wide open spaces seamlessly leading into indoor environments were novel. The use of vehicles and custom character classes were supposed to bring about the first Battlefield game. However, in testament to the interplay between gamers and developers something else happened. The methodical approach was discarded and a fast-paced legend took its place. This game should have been the foundation for all competitive team-based multiplayer FPS. Unrivaled.
Master of Orion 2.
Largely the game I measure every 4x game against. There are a few that compare favorably, but not many. You can't have 4x space without a proper strings/synth soundtrack. You can't have 4xspace without letting me design my own ships. You can't have 4x space without without blowing up a few planets.
Portal.
The game is great, but that alone is not why I have it here. This was the first game I pre-loaded and played with friends 'opening night.' It was a special treat waiting for the stupid thing to unlock and then racing everybody to the end. It is something I have not been able to repeat since. I hope DD 'opening night' eventually becomes a bigger event for games.
Close Combat.
A handful of RTS games could go in this spot. Close Combat will get the nod from me because of all the unique qualities it brought together. Unit procurement and resourcing was handled in a strategic map. Units themselves had ammo and morale values that to this day are rarely given such impact. Line of sight rules were similarly integrated with great care and attention to detail. That tank may have a clear view into the city, but it can't be certain there are no units there. My head throbs every time someone claims Company of Heroes introduced this little RTS sub-genre.
Half-Life.
The start of this game is the start of a lot of trends. How many FPS games since have opened with an expository vehicle ride filled with ambient narrative? Half-Life also sparked the final refinement of the modding scene before it hit the big time. TF and RA have a claim to the title, but I still consider Counterstrike to be king of the mod era that started with Aliens TC.
Tie Fighter.
They finally let you play as the noble Empire fighting off treacherous insurgents. Wonderful gameplay that eventually leads to the overpowered Tie Defender and stupid Missile Boat. This was made in the days when a licensed product didn't have to be some dumbed-down drivel.
This list is a second draft. It's hard including two space sims on the list, but they were that good.A lack of new interesting space games has probably skewed my list. I am missing a CRPG, a sandbox, a graphic adventure, and a god game. Honorable mentions: Nearly everything on every list after mine, Doom, Quake, Starcraft, Sim City, Arcanum, Fallout, Independence War, X3, Blood Money, HoMM, Natural Selection, Shogun: TW, HoI, System Shock, Privateer, Outlaws, Oregon Trail Descent...
So many hall-of-fame class games.
X-Com (two points)
Close Combat
Freespace 2
Half-Life
Homeworld
Master of Orion 2
Portal
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Starsiege: Tribes
Tie Fighter
X-Com: Enemy Unknown aka Ufo Defense.
I am already a broken record with this game so here is the short version. X-Com wonderfully layered so many gameplay systems that it shames most modern strategy RPGs. Two decades of Oscar Worthy character development has produced little that can replicate the attachment I had with my fragile field agents.
Freespace II.
The game included everything I ever wanted in a space sim. Then it introduced a sense of scale to combat that simply dwarfed everything that had come before it. Finally, it took its own bombastic plot and blew it up. Nothing I did really mattered. It was fantastic. It is fantastic.
Homeworld.
Star Wars: Rebellion was released less than a year prior and brilliantly demonstrated what can go wrong with a 3D RTS. In contrast Homeworld surmounted that hurdle with an easy to use interface that just worked. It also did a fantastic job with its BSG inspired plot. Every slowly unraveling mystery was accompanied with a proper mood-setting track.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
There are two kinds of progress: the methodical experimentation and categorization which gradually extend the boundaries of knowledge, and the revolutionary leap of genius which redefines and transcends those boundaries. Acknowledging our debt to the former, we yearn, nonetheless, for the latter.
Academician Prokhor Zakharov, "Address to the Faculty"
Starsiege: Tribes.
The wide open spaces seamlessly leading into indoor environments were novel. The use of vehicles and custom character classes were supposed to bring about the first Battlefield game. However, in testament to the interplay between gamers and developers something else happened. The methodical approach was discarded and a fast-paced legend took its place. This game should have been the foundation for all competitive team-based multiplayer FPS. Unrivaled.
Master of Orion 2.
Largely the game I measure every 4x game against. There are a few that compare favorably, but not many. You can't have 4x space without a proper strings/synth soundtrack. You can't have 4xspace without letting me design my own ships. You can't have 4x space without without blowing up a few planets.
Portal.
The game is great, but that alone is not why I have it here. This was the first game I pre-loaded and played with friends 'opening night.' It was a special treat waiting for the stupid thing to unlock and then racing everybody to the end. It is something I have not been able to repeat since. I hope DD 'opening night' eventually becomes a bigger event for games.
Close Combat.
A handful of RTS games could go in this spot. Close Combat will get the nod from me because of all the unique qualities it brought together. Unit procurement and resourcing was handled in a strategic map. Units themselves had ammo and morale values that to this day are rarely given such impact. Line of sight rules were similarly integrated with great care and attention to detail. That tank may have a clear view into the city, but it can't be certain there are no units there. My head throbs every time someone claims Company of Heroes introduced this little RTS sub-genre.
Half-Life.
The start of this game is the start of a lot of trends. How many FPS games since have opened with an expository vehicle ride filled with ambient narrative? Half-Life also sparked the final refinement of the modding scene before it hit the big time. TF and RA have a claim to the title, but I still consider Counterstrike to be king of the mod era that started with Aliens TC.
Tie Fighter.
They finally let you play as the noble Empire fighting off treacherous insurgents. Wonderful gameplay that eventually leads to the overpowered Tie Defender and stupid Missile Boat. This was made in the days when a licensed product didn't have to be some dumbed-down drivel.
This list is a second draft. It's hard including two space sims on the list, but they were that good.A lack of new interesting space games has probably skewed my list. I am missing a CRPG, a sandbox, a graphic adventure, and a god game. Honorable mentions: Nearly everything on every list after mine, Doom, Quake, Starcraft, Sim City, Arcanum, Fallout, Independence War, X3, Blood Money, HoMM, Natural Selection, Shogun: TW, HoI, System Shock, Privateer, Outlaws, Oregon Trail Descent...
So many hall-of-fame class games.
DOOM (two points): Amazing game, still fun to play today because of its high mobility, level design, and monster combat. I think DOOM is like tetris, one of the best games forever.
Added the two point bonus to DOOM because I don't know if we would be here without it.
Fallout 2: There is nothing like riding a highwayman around the desert and shooting bandits. A good middle ground between story and do whatever the fuck you want of Morrowind.
Asheron's Call: I just had so much fun with this MMO for 5 or 6 years. Met some cool people and shot fireballs and them and some giant apes. I can't play a theme park now. I need a wide open sandbox of landscape hunting mixed with epic quests and a freeform character development system. At one point I had so much knowledge of this game in my head it was crazy.
Mirror's Edge: I thought Quake had great platforming, potentially better than mario. Mirror's Edge went in another direction and presented a platforming system that made sense with a human body and allowed skill tp succeed while suiting most game universes. Parkour is great in first person. Brink did it, I think BF3 is. The movement ME brought should become a standard trope of FPS gaming. When I watch Rage videos now I am no longer thinking of DOOM guy, I think of mantling and crouch slides. The game is awesome for ten minutes of fun but I love it most for the possibilities it brings to game control. Other games had done wall running or jumping, or sliding before but none of them in a real body way and none of them this well. Mirror's Edge actually innovated something and did a fucking amazing job at it the first time out.
Alpha Protocol: I love the branching dialog in this game. This is the best talking game I have played. Even after finishing the game it felt like anything could have happened. I was discoving new major character traits on my third or fourth play throughs.
Full Throttle: An adventure that keeps the player moving along but still gives them a set of screens to explore at once. It has some puzzles involving timing and some combat that can be tricky but it was all really good in the end. It tells a good story begining to end and moves along really fast compared to Lucas Arts other adventures.
Quake 3: it is impossible for me to pick just one of this series. This is PC gaming. Unlimited levels, mods to gameplay and total conversions. A lot of this credit goes to DOOM and DOOM II and Quake and Quakeworld, and Quake II, and Quake 4, and Pro Mode, and ... Amazing engine too anything based on it controlled amazing like ET and Jedi Outcast. I really don't know whether to change this to Quake, or II my first online game, or CPM. John Carmack and id deserve every lifetime achievement award in this medium.
Counter Strike: Best gunplay of semi realistic weapons and health. Cemented the modern realistic setting of gaming. Has not been topped for that type of gunplay. This game changed everything. Sadly it killed deathmatch as a popular genre but damn I realize now CS is good.
Audiosurf: Just a great chillout thing. Take your music collection and play with it.
picking my tenth out of the whole world of gaming is very difficult.
Sid Meier's Pirates!: this game is actually sitting on my desk. Every year or so Pirates! consumes a few days of my life. It doesn't offer the direct avatar control of most games, it is almost like a god game in controls. You sail to explore, you trade, you have ship battles, those ship battles turn into sword fights where you use items gained from trading and romancing governers daughters, the game does every little thing you can think of, land battles even, treasure digging, quests for lost loved ones! It may not be the best game of this type or even considered good but it is the one I play and at the end of this 10 game list it makes me want to humm the world is awesome song from discovery channel.
Almost made 10th:
Battlefield 2
Guild Wars
Left For Dead 1/2
A million other games.
Added the two point bonus to DOOM because I don't know if we would be here without it.
Fallout 2: There is nothing like riding a highwayman around the desert and shooting bandits. A good middle ground between story and do whatever the fuck you want of Morrowind.
Asheron's Call: I just had so much fun with this MMO for 5 or 6 years. Met some cool people and shot fireballs and them and some giant apes. I can't play a theme park now. I need a wide open sandbox of landscape hunting mixed with epic quests and a freeform character development system. At one point I had so much knowledge of this game in my head it was crazy.
Mirror's Edge: I thought Quake had great platforming, potentially better than mario. Mirror's Edge went in another direction and presented a platforming system that made sense with a human body and allowed skill tp succeed while suiting most game universes. Parkour is great in first person. Brink did it, I think BF3 is. The movement ME brought should become a standard trope of FPS gaming. When I watch Rage videos now I am no longer thinking of DOOM guy, I think of mantling and crouch slides. The game is awesome for ten minutes of fun but I love it most for the possibilities it brings to game control. Other games had done wall running or jumping, or sliding before but none of them in a real body way and none of them this well. Mirror's Edge actually innovated something and did a fucking amazing job at it the first time out.
Alpha Protocol: I love the branching dialog in this game. This is the best talking game I have played. Even after finishing the game it felt like anything could have happened. I was discoving new major character traits on my third or fourth play throughs.
Full Throttle: An adventure that keeps the player moving along but still gives them a set of screens to explore at once. It has some puzzles involving timing and some combat that can be tricky but it was all really good in the end. It tells a good story begining to end and moves along really fast compared to Lucas Arts other adventures.
Quake 3: it is impossible for me to pick just one of this series. This is PC gaming. Unlimited levels, mods to gameplay and total conversions. A lot of this credit goes to DOOM and DOOM II and Quake and Quakeworld, and Quake II, and Quake 4, and Pro Mode, and ... Amazing engine too anything based on it controlled amazing like ET and Jedi Outcast. I really don't know whether to change this to Quake, or II my first online game, or CPM. John Carmack and id deserve every lifetime achievement award in this medium.
Counter Strike: Best gunplay of semi realistic weapons and health. Cemented the modern realistic setting of gaming. Has not been topped for that type of gunplay. This game changed everything. Sadly it killed deathmatch as a popular genre but damn I realize now CS is good.
Audiosurf: Just a great chillout thing. Take your music collection and play with it.
picking my tenth out of the whole world of gaming is very difficult.
Sid Meier's Pirates!: this game is actually sitting on my desk. Every year or so Pirates! consumes a few days of my life. It doesn't offer the direct avatar control of most games, it is almost like a god game in controls. You sail to explore, you trade, you have ship battles, those ship battles turn into sword fights where you use items gained from trading and romancing governers daughters, the game does every little thing you can think of, land battles even, treasure digging, quests for lost loved ones! It may not be the best game of this type or even considered good but it is the one I play and at the end of this 10 game list it makes me want to humm the world is awesome song from discovery channel.
Almost made 10th:
Battlefield 2
Guild Wars
Left For Dead 1/2
A million other games.
Wasteland -- Has to be my standout because it's so underappreciated compared to many of its contemporaries.
Ultima VII -- Hate to split the Ultima vote but I loved the open world and the ability to do all kinds of crazy stuff. Funny sad how Ultima innovated in so many ways literally throughout the entire series up through Online. Trillion-dollar genres and subgenres were built by copping lots of ideas from the Ultimas.
D&D: Pool of Radiance (Gold Box) -- Truly the height of the RPG golden age. RPGs today don't hold a candle to these three or Vampire.
Vampire: Bloodlines -- Standout storytelling and atmosphere. Probably the swansong of RPGs for me.
Pirates! -- Oddly overlooked as well. Tremendously revolutionary game for its time.
Civ IV -- Series must be in, and this is my personal favorite.
SimCity 2000 -- See Civ IV.
Stunt Car Racer/Stunt Track Racer -- Personal classic.
Ultima VII -- Hate to split the Ultima vote but I loved the open world and the ability to do all kinds of crazy stuff. Funny sad how Ultima innovated in so many ways literally throughout the entire series up through Online. Trillion-dollar genres and subgenres were built by copping lots of ideas from the Ultimas.
D&D: Pool of Radiance (Gold Box) -- Truly the height of the RPG golden age. RPGs today don't hold a candle to these three or Vampire.
Vampire: Bloodlines -- Standout storytelling and atmosphere. Probably the swansong of RPGs for me.
Pirates! -- Oddly overlooked as well. Tremendously revolutionary game for its time.
Civ IV -- Series must be in, and this is my personal favorite.
SimCity 2000 -- See Civ IV.
Stunt Car Racer/Stunt Track Racer -- Personal classic.
In no specific order:
Escape Velocity
Warcraft 3
Starcraft: Brood War
Diablo 2
Team Fortress 2
Left 4 Dead 2
League of Legends
Minecraft
Civilization IV
Sim City 2000
These are the games that make me love being a PC Gamer!
Special Mentions:
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Portal
Peggle
Masters of Orion 2
King's Bounty: The Legend
Escape Velocity
Warcraft 3
Starcraft: Brood War
Diablo 2
Team Fortress 2
Left 4 Dead 2
League of Legends
Minecraft
Civilization IV
Sim City 2000
These are the games that make me love being a PC Gamer!
Special Mentions:
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Portal
Peggle
Masters of Orion 2
King's Bounty: The Legend
Commander Keen 4 - Goodbye Galaxy!
Game of my childhood.
Quake 3 Arena
The best-balanced and most challenging MP-shooter to date.
Unreal Tournament
Two Towers <3
Mafia
Great storyline and voiceacting.
Day of the Tentacle
Lovely artstyle and so many good jokes. The use of timeshifts is perfect
Half-Life
The enemys are way better in the first one. Also the puzzles and leveldesign was more interesting.
Diablo II
If a few friends with their PCs would come over now I would probably lose my job
Deus Ex
So many genres in one game - perfect executioned
Monkey Island 2
Best game of series for me.
Portal
Storytelling and gameplay are one of a kind
Game of my childhood.
Quake 3 Arena
The best-balanced and most challenging MP-shooter to date.
Unreal Tournament
Two Towers <3
Mafia
Great storyline and voiceacting.
Day of the Tentacle
Lovely artstyle and so many good jokes. The use of timeshifts is perfect
Half-Life
The enemys are way better in the first one. Also the puzzles and leveldesign was more interesting.
Diablo II
If a few friends with their PCs would come over now I would probably lose my job
Deus Ex
So many genres in one game - perfect executioned
Monkey Island 2
Best game of series for me.
Portal
Storytelling and gameplay are one of a kind
Retrofluxed
Member
1. DOOM 2 - What's better than the best shooter of all time? The sequel. Can you say Double-Barreled Shotgun?
2. World of Warcraft - While I may not play it anymore, and it may have not been the first MMO, it sure put the genre in the hands of people who never played MMOs before.
3. Giants: Citizen Kabuto - A great game that was unfortunately overlooked.
4. Mass Effect - Another great RPG from one of the best RPG studios around.
5. Knights of the Old Republic - I don't give a damn if this was on consoles first, it played and looked better on PC.
6. Half-Life 2 - Just like DOOM 2, it did the impossible, outshining its predecessor.
7. Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail - The hand-drawn art finally matched the great humor of the series.
8. Strife - A sorely overlooked First Person RPG/Shooter. I highly recommend checking this out if you've never played it.
9. Duke Nukem 3D - I've got balls of steel.
10. Diablo 2 - Hours and hours of my life gone because of this game.
2. World of Warcraft - While I may not play it anymore, and it may have not been the first MMO, it sure put the genre in the hands of people who never played MMOs before.
3. Giants: Citizen Kabuto - A great game that was unfortunately overlooked.
4. Mass Effect - Another great RPG from one of the best RPG studios around.
5. Knights of the Old Republic - I don't give a damn if this was on consoles first, it played and looked better on PC.
6. Half-Life 2 - Just like DOOM 2, it did the impossible, outshining its predecessor.
7. Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail - The hand-drawn art finally matched the great humor of the series.
8. Strife - A sorely overlooked First Person RPG/Shooter. I highly recommend checking this out if you've never played it.
9. Duke Nukem 3D - I've got balls of steel.
10. Diablo 2 - Hours and hours of my life gone because of this game.
Not a huge PC gamer so this list probably won't be 10 games, and it's been so long since I played any Half-Life games I can't remember which would be my favourite so that's something missing.
Battlefield 1942 - My favourite ever FPS, multiplayer game, and PC game.
Just Cause 2
Freelancer
Team Fortress 2
Mass Effect
Super Meat Boy
Unreal Tournament
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
EDIT: Added SCCT, forgot about it.
Battlefield 1942 - My favourite ever FPS, multiplayer game, and PC game.
Just Cause 2
Freelancer
Team Fortress 2
Mass Effect
Super Meat Boy
Unreal Tournament
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
EDIT: Added SCCT, forgot about it.
Star Control 2 - My favorite game of all time. Everything in this game is truly inspired, from the music to the dialog to the enormous scope of the map. (the 3DO version was actually the better version, but we'll ignore that for the sake of this poll)
Age of Empires II - My second favorite game of all time. Struck the perfect balance between too simple and too complex. It is an immensely playable game. I can double click it on a whim and not close it down for another eight hours.
Company of Heroes - It's like a modern, military version of AoE and all that made it great. Wonderful balance half way between too much and not enough.
Myst - One of the few games ever made that can stand toe to toe with great examples of art in other fields. The story (narrative) is decent, but the environment-as-story is unrivaled in video games.
Half Life 2 - A master's touch in every way - story, design, atmosphere, pacing, variation, etc.
Sim City 4 - The first one had the biggest impact, 2000 was the best one for years, but I think 4 is the best currently, so hey. The type of game that really belongs to the PC.
Starcraft II - I could nitpick it, and SC1 was certainly the one with far bigger impact, but I'd rather play 2 now.
Ultima III: Exodus - I was there in 1983, hunched over my enormous Apple IIe with cloth map in hand for hours at a time, playing the grandfather of video game RPGs. The genre still uses so much from this game/series. It's the LotR of RPGs. Sure, maybe Wizardry is really the grandfather of video game RPGs, but I had Wizardry when it came out a couple years earlier and it kinda sucked, can't lie.
Civilization IV - Like Sim City 4, this is the one where it all came together.
Deus Ex - I can put any of 20 or 30 games in this last slot and I'm having a real tough time making up my mind, so I'll just stick this classic here and call it a night.
Age of Empires II - My second favorite game of all time. Struck the perfect balance between too simple and too complex. It is an immensely playable game. I can double click it on a whim and not close it down for another eight hours.
Company of Heroes - It's like a modern, military version of AoE and all that made it great. Wonderful balance half way between too much and not enough.
Myst - One of the few games ever made that can stand toe to toe with great examples of art in other fields. The story (narrative) is decent, but the environment-as-story is unrivaled in video games.
Half Life 2 - A master's touch in every way - story, design, atmosphere, pacing, variation, etc.
Sim City 4 - The first one had the biggest impact, 2000 was the best one for years, but I think 4 is the best currently, so hey. The type of game that really belongs to the PC.
Starcraft II - I could nitpick it, and SC1 was certainly the one with far bigger impact, but I'd rather play 2 now.
Ultima III: Exodus - I was there in 1983, hunched over my enormous Apple IIe with cloth map in hand for hours at a time, playing the grandfather of video game RPGs. The genre still uses so much from this game/series. It's the LotR of RPGs. Sure, maybe Wizardry is really the grandfather of video game RPGs, but I had Wizardry when it came out a couple years earlier and it kinda sucked, can't lie.
Civilization IV - Like Sim City 4, this is the one where it all came together.
Deus Ex - I can put any of 20 or 30 games in this last slot and I'm having a real tough time making up my mind, so I'll just stick this classic here and call it a night.
FieryBalrog
Member
Good to see so many PC centric genres like RTS/sim/turn-based strategy games represented.
I only picked games that were exclusive to PC or were originally developed for PC.
Team Fortress 2
Quake III Arena
Civilization IV
Warcraft II
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Deus Ex
Rise of Nations
Portal 2
The Curse of Monkey Island
Myst
Not exactly my top ten favorites or anything, but ten games I think that represent something unique and that are must-plays.
Team Fortress 2
Quake III Arena
Civilization IV
Warcraft II
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Deus Ex
Rise of Nations
Portal 2
The Curse of Monkey Island
Myst
Not exactly my top ten favorites or anything, but ten games I think that represent something unique and that are must-plays.
MasterShotgun
brazen editing lynx
I haven't been PC gaming for very long, so my tastes are very skewed toward more modern games.
Half-Life 2
Portal
Left 4 Dead 2
Diablo II
BioShock
Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War: Dark Crusades
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Dragon Age: Origins
Mirror's Edge
Half-Life 2
Portal
Left 4 Dead 2
Diablo II
BioShock
Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War: Dark Crusades
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Dragon Age: Origins
Mirror's Edge
1. Neverwinter Nights (For the awesome stuff the mod/player community did + the old Bioware providing us the necessary tools)
2. Age of Empires II + expansions (Not much needs to be said, if you were into RTS at that time you loved AoE, it should be in all the lists
)
3. Unreal Tournament (This is it guys, never forget, CTF instagib on Face)
4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
5. Starcraft 2 (Like mentioned above, SC1/broodwar had more impact, but me and my mates are still playing SC2 after a year, that's unique...)
6. Homeworld 2 (The atmosphere, the controls, the vibe, fucking cool game)
7. Lineage II (Best online gaming experience I've had so far, politics, intrigue, chinese farmers, scammers... so close to the real world it was scary at times)
8. Majesty (Typical PC gaming title for me, tons of stats, strategy, humor and niche, very niche :lol)
9. Divine Divinity (Awesome ISO 2.5D RPG, just google some screens and you'll know what I mean)
10. Lord of the Rings Online (Great atmosphere, how they ported the books to an online world, just awesome)
Great lists so far guys!
<3 PC gaming
2. Age of Empires II + expansions (Not much needs to be said, if you were into RTS at that time you loved AoE, it should be in all the lists
)3. Unreal Tournament (This is it guys, never forget, CTF instagib on Face)
4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
5. Starcraft 2 (Like mentioned above, SC1/broodwar had more impact, but me and my mates are still playing SC2 after a year, that's unique...)
6. Homeworld 2 (The atmosphere, the controls, the vibe, fucking cool game)
7. Lineage II (Best online gaming experience I've had so far, politics, intrigue, chinese farmers, scammers... so close to the real world it was scary at times)
8. Majesty (Typical PC gaming title for me, tons of stats, strategy, humor and niche, very niche :lol)
9. Divine Divinity (Awesome ISO 2.5D RPG, just google some screens and you'll know what I mean)
10. Lord of the Rings Online (Great atmosphere, how they ported the books to an online world, just awesome)
Great lists so far guys!
<3 PC gaming
viewtifulsub
Member
Off the top of my head before I head out to class
Deus Ex (x2) - Whilst it is the jack of all trades, and master of none; Deus Ex showed my teenage self in 2000 that there was more to FPS than just blasting down enemies. A game that encouraged the player how to approach each situation, an interesting storyline, customisable player builds, and a great soundtrack to boot
Doom - Being introduced to the shareware demo in '94 changed was a life changer.
Fallout - Never the biggest AD&D-based WRPG fan growing up, Fallout catered to my wrpg needs perfectly. Incredible setting and atmosphere with some immense (un)polished gameplay
Thief 2: The Metal Age - Still my favourite stealth game. Where I missed Thief1's surreal adventures, the tweaked and improved gameplay certainly more than made up for it
Planescape: Torment - Whilst Mask of the Betrayer came close, PS:T is still unmatched in featuring the highest quality writing featured in video game.
System Shock 2 - I am a sucker for fps/rpg hybrids, especially ones set in a sci-fi setting. Another Looking Glass gem.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Exploring Vvardenfell whilst listening to Jeremy Soule's compositions was one gaming's best journeys
Unreal Tournament - Whilst the late 90s/early 00's fps scene featured the holy trinity of Q3/HL:CS/UT; UT appealed to me more at the time due to its sci-fi setting, fast gunplay, large environments, multiple game modes, and heavy emphasis on teamwork
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura - Steampunk Fallout with a soundtrack consisting entirely of violins. A roleplayer's dream.
TIE Fighter - The game that popped my space-sim cherry in '94. Still my favourite.
Deus Ex (x2) - Whilst it is the jack of all trades, and master of none; Deus Ex showed my teenage self in 2000 that there was more to FPS than just blasting down enemies. A game that encouraged the player how to approach each situation, an interesting storyline, customisable player builds, and a great soundtrack to boot
Doom - Being introduced to the shareware demo in '94 changed was a life changer.
Fallout - Never the biggest AD&D-based WRPG fan growing up, Fallout catered to my wrpg needs perfectly. Incredible setting and atmosphere with some immense (un)polished gameplay
Thief 2: The Metal Age - Still my favourite stealth game. Where I missed Thief1's surreal adventures, the tweaked and improved gameplay certainly more than made up for it
Planescape: Torment - Whilst Mask of the Betrayer came close, PS:T is still unmatched in featuring the highest quality writing featured in video game.
System Shock 2 - I am a sucker for fps/rpg hybrids, especially ones set in a sci-fi setting. Another Looking Glass gem.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Exploring Vvardenfell whilst listening to Jeremy Soule's compositions was one gaming's best journeys
Unreal Tournament - Whilst the late 90s/early 00's fps scene featured the holy trinity of Q3/HL:CS/UT; UT appealed to me more at the time due to its sci-fi setting, fast gunplay, large environments, multiple game modes, and heavy emphasis on teamwork
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura - Steampunk Fallout with a soundtrack consisting entirely of violins. A roleplayer's dream.
TIE Fighter - The game that popped my space-sim cherry in '94. Still my favourite.
Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!
Member
1. Full Throttle
archnemesis
Member
- Counter-Strike
- A decade later, it's still one of the best multiplayer shooter around. Each round play out differently and it's always fun to come back to. - Mount & Blade: Warband
- One of the best games in recent memory. Who would have thought medieval combat could be so satisfying? - Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero
- An excellent hybrid between classic Sierra adventure with fun writing and interesting puzzles and a RPG, with all that entails. - Portal
- I never cared about the meme, song or story, but Portal has better platforming and puzzles than any other first-person game. - Sid Meier's Civilization IV
- It was difficult to choose which iteration I prefer, but I think Civ4 is still the king of strategy. - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- Even though Oblivion improved the combat it failed to capture the atmosphere and charm of the previous Elder Scroll games. You're free to explore the vast expanses of a strange fantasy world and choose your own destiny in your own way. - The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
- After a few duds, the resource management strategy series came back last year with its strongest game to date. - Transport Tycoon Deluxe
- Build an empire of trains, buses, boats and airplanes which makes it at least four times as good as Railroad Tycoon. - Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- I didn't think it would hold up well until I re-installed it last week. The 3D action RPG gameplay is still competent enough to be fun, even without the witty and intelligent writing. - X-Com: UFO Defense
- It's awesome!
I can't really make a top ten list. It is hard enough to making a top ten RTS list...
PC games span back to DOS so this is pretty much impossible.
I'll just name some games I have played over the past 15 years
StarCraft: Broodwar
Simcity 2000
Half Life
Minesweeper
DOOM
Team Fortress 2
Age of Empires 2
Diablo
Duke Nukem 3d
Caesar III
PC games span back to DOS so this is pretty much impossible.
I'll just name some games I have played over the past 15 years
StarCraft: Broodwar
Simcity 2000
Half Life
Minesweeper
DOOM
Team Fortress 2
Age of Empires 2
Diablo
Duke Nukem 3d
Caesar III
Fragamemnon
Member
I don't do ordered lists, but here's a rough top 10.
System Shock 2
Freespace 2
Baldur's Gate 2
Deus Ex
Civilization IV
Heroes of Might and Magic III
Star Control 2
Dark Age of Camelot
Starcraft 2
X-COM : UFO Defense
Dark Age of Camelot is somewhat iffy, but I played in a stretch of time when it was at its design peak and had a lot of things work out for me that made it something quite special. I chose Starcraft 2 over SC:BW due to the fact that it's honestly just a better game-no slight to Brood War at all, but over a decade years of technology and design prowess in the hands of Blizzard-level talent do mean something.
Honorable mentions to Wasteland, Clouds/Worlds of Xeen, Wing Commander 2/TIE Fighter, Ultima Underworld, Ultima IV and VII, Darklands, Myth : The Fallen Lords, Tribes, and Europa Universalis 3.
System Shock 2
Freespace 2
Baldur's Gate 2
Deus Ex
Civilization IV
Heroes of Might and Magic III
Star Control 2
Dark Age of Camelot
Starcraft 2
X-COM : UFO Defense
Dark Age of Camelot is somewhat iffy, but I played in a stretch of time when it was at its design peak and had a lot of things work out for me that made it something quite special. I chose Starcraft 2 over SC:BW due to the fact that it's honestly just a better game-no slight to Brood War at all, but over a decade years of technology and design prowess in the hands of Blizzard-level talent do mean something.
Honorable mentions to Wasteland, Clouds/Worlds of Xeen, Wing Commander 2/TIE Fighter, Ultima Underworld, Ultima IV and VII, Darklands, Myth : The Fallen Lords, Tribes, and Europa Universalis 3.
Revolutionary
Member
Ultima Online (x2)
Grim Fandango
Age of Empires II
Unreal Tournament
Diablo II
Half-Life
Battlefield 1942
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Deus Ex
Too late/tired to explain why for all of them, but I think it should be pretty obvious for most. They are all the very definition of classic - Hall of Fame worthy, indeed!
Grim Fandango
Age of Empires II
Unreal Tournament
Diablo II
Half-Life
Battlefield 1942
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Deus Ex
Too late/tired to explain why for all of them, but I think it should be pretty obvious for most. They are all the very definition of classic - Hall of Fame worthy, indeed!
Doom - Needs no explanation.
TF2 - Hats!
Duke Nukem 3D - Amazing multiplayer (trip mines), robust level editor and loads of easter eggs!
Dune 2 - Epic RTS game, kind of started it all, 3 FACTIONS! (Place those concrete tiles, WATCH OUT FOR THE SANDWORMS!)
C & C - ^ Refined.
Starcraft - Comp stomp.
Warcraft 2 - The hours me and my friends spent playing this bad boy. Lans, carrying my big ass CRT, all nighters on the school holiday's, shit, brings a tear to the eye.
Crysis - Sand box style gameplay, amazing graphics, abilities and weapons. Still takes a pig to run it!
Company of Heroes - Huge WW2 buff. Brilliant sound, graphics, where to begin?
World in conflict - I hardly even played the final retail build. The closed beta though, man, that menu music, the atmosphere.... something else.
TF2 - Hats!
Duke Nukem 3D - Amazing multiplayer (trip mines), robust level editor and loads of easter eggs!
Dune 2 - Epic RTS game, kind of started it all, 3 FACTIONS! (Place those concrete tiles, WATCH OUT FOR THE SANDWORMS!)
C & C - ^ Refined.
Starcraft - Comp stomp.
Warcraft 2 - The hours me and my friends spent playing this bad boy. Lans, carrying my big ass CRT, all nighters on the school holiday's, shit, brings a tear to the eye.
Crysis - Sand box style gameplay, amazing graphics, abilities and weapons. Still takes a pig to run it!
Company of Heroes - Huge WW2 buff. Brilliant sound, graphics, where to begin?
World in conflict - I hardly even played the final retail build. The closed beta though, man, that menu music, the atmosphere.... something else.
Danne-Danger
Member
Baldurs Gate 2 (RPG) - I've started dozens upon dozens of new games and they very rarely play out the same as the previous one. There's so much to do and so many ways to go about it.
Wizardry 8 (RPG) - Highlighted because it often gets overlooked. Truly a work of genius in terms of interface and design. The gameplay is fast and tough as balls and you have access to every stat you'd want within a few clicks but it never, ever feels overwhelming. You always know what's going on which is an extraordinary feat considering you can have up 8 party members to keep track of. It's deep, huge and extremely rewarding.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (TBS) - Another life-sucker. Endlessly replayable with the random map generator.
Total Annihilation (RTS) - A revolution in terms of RTS design. If I had to put my finger on what makes it great I'd say it's the flow of the gameplay. Collecting resources takes a backseat and most units can handle themselves if you give them some rudimentary command. This lets the games grow huge and with its emphasis on simulation in the unit combat it feels truly epic and "organic" to see how a battle unfolds.
Fallout 2 (RPG) - Excellent combat, atmosphere, dialogue, companions, equipment, exploration, locations, quests and story. If you asked me to criticize Fallout 2 I'd be hard-pressed to do it. It does a ton of shit and it does it all extremely well.
Civilization IV - Not much to say here.
Diablo 2 - A game-changer in terms of online play, so far there hasn't been another game like it. If I'd count the hours I spent leveling up different chars and searching of items I'd probably break down and cry. Plays incredibly smoothly, a wonder of design.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl (FPS) - Very few games has brought me the same level of immersion that I got from SoC. The gameplay fits the setting exceptionally well, a truly unique experience.
Deus Ex - Yup.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (FPS) - I had to include an online shooter in my list as that's always been my comfort food. At first the complexity in ET:QW will hit you like a barrel of bricks, 200 hours later you'll still be learning new tactics and mechanics. Extremely rewarding for those that stick with it, and the ET-style of gameplay offers some of the most hectic pub games I've had the pleasure of playing. Though its true innovation was how it handled coordination between players, people are always doing what's needed for the team and with a game this advanced that's quite a feat.
Ones that were just barely left out: F.E.A.R., Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Valve, Doom 2, King's Bounty: The Legend, Grim Fandango, EVE Online, Battlefield 1942, Counter-Strike 1.5, The Curse of Monkey Island, Freespace 2, Mount & Blade, Rainbow Six: Raven Shield/Rogue Spear, Carmageddon
Wizardry 8 (RPG) - Highlighted because it often gets overlooked. Truly a work of genius in terms of interface and design. The gameplay is fast and tough as balls and you have access to every stat you'd want within a few clicks but it never, ever feels overwhelming. You always know what's going on which is an extraordinary feat considering you can have up 8 party members to keep track of. It's deep, huge and extremely rewarding.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (TBS) - Another life-sucker. Endlessly replayable with the random map generator.
Total Annihilation (RTS) - A revolution in terms of RTS design. If I had to put my finger on what makes it great I'd say it's the flow of the gameplay. Collecting resources takes a backseat and most units can handle themselves if you give them some rudimentary command. This lets the games grow huge and with its emphasis on simulation in the unit combat it feels truly epic and "organic" to see how a battle unfolds.
Fallout 2 (RPG) - Excellent combat, atmosphere, dialogue, companions, equipment, exploration, locations, quests and story. If you asked me to criticize Fallout 2 I'd be hard-pressed to do it. It does a ton of shit and it does it all extremely well.
Civilization IV - Not much to say here.
Diablo 2 - A game-changer in terms of online play, so far there hasn't been another game like it. If I'd count the hours I spent leveling up different chars and searching of items I'd probably break down and cry. Plays incredibly smoothly, a wonder of design.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl (FPS) - Very few games has brought me the same level of immersion that I got from SoC. The gameplay fits the setting exceptionally well, a truly unique experience.
Deus Ex - Yup.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (FPS) - I had to include an online shooter in my list as that's always been my comfort food. At first the complexity in ET:QW will hit you like a barrel of bricks, 200 hours later you'll still be learning new tactics and mechanics. Extremely rewarding for those that stick with it, and the ET-style of gameplay offers some of the most hectic pub games I've had the pleasure of playing. Though its true innovation was how it handled coordination between players, people are always doing what's needed for the team and with a game this advanced that's quite a feat.
Ones that were just barely left out: F.E.A.R., Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Valve, Doom 2, King's Bounty: The Legend, Grim Fandango, EVE Online, Battlefield 1942, Counter-Strike 1.5, The Curse of Monkey Island, Freespace 2, Mount & Blade, Rainbow Six: Raven Shield/Rogue Spear, Carmageddon
Solid warrior
Banned
1. Half Life 2
2. Crysis 2
3. FarCry 2
4. Max Payne
5. Oblivion
6. Battlefield 2
7. Battlefield Bad Company 2
8. Counter-Strike: Source
9. Mass Effect 2
10. Dead Space
2. Crysis 2
3. FarCry 2
4. Max Payne
5. Oblivion
6. Battlefield 2
7. Battlefield Bad Company 2
8. Counter-Strike: Source
9. Mass Effect 2
10. Dead Space
HarryDemeanor
Member
World of Warcraft
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
StarCraft II
Diablo II
Doom II
Age of Empires II
Mass Effect
PlanetSide
Battlefield 1942
The Secret of Monkey Island
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
StarCraft II
Diablo II
Doom II
Age of Empires II
Mass Effect
PlanetSide
Battlefield 1942
The Secret of Monkey Island
StoppedInTracks
Member
Great thread. Reserved for when I have more time later in the afternoon.
1. Planescape Torment
2. Fallout 1
3. X-COM UFO Defense
4. Wolfenstein 3D
5. Warcraft 2 + Expansion
6. Fallout 2
7. Unreal Tournament
8. Starcraft 1 + Expansion
9. Crysis
10. Jagged Alliance 2
Come to think of it, there are far too many amazing games that don't feature in my list, and even a top 50 would be inadequate.
2. Fallout 1
3. X-COM UFO Defense
4. Wolfenstein 3D
5. Warcraft 2 + Expansion
6. Fallout 2
7. Unreal Tournament
8. Starcraft 1 + Expansion
9. Crysis
10. Jagged Alliance 2
Come to think of it, there are far too many amazing games that don't feature in my list, and even a top 50 would be inadequate.
Starcraft II: I had played very little to no strategy games prior to playing Starcraft. It made me realize how much i enjoy the genre and it's still my favourite that i play and watch pretty much every day.
Half Life 2: This needs no explanation, the atmosphere, gravity gun, graphics, timeless
Witcher 2: Maybe it's not the best RPG ever made but somehow it caught my attention like no other RPG has for quite some time. The quality of the art and graphics made it so that I was completely drawn into the world and enjoyed every single bit of the game.
World of Warcraft: This, by far, was the game where i had the most fun and probably the best gaming experience of my life, something i doubt will change ever.
Terraria: To be honest i don't even know why i find this game so enjoying, i've sunken so many hours into it that it would be a disservice not to include it on my list.
Metro 2033: The amazing atmosphere and graphical fidelity make up for the average controls and story. Great ride
Dragon Age: Origins: Never played the games this was based on but all I know is that i loved this game, from the combat to the story, characters, choices, great great game.
Team Fortress 2: HATS, LOOT
Civilization V: Yes, Civilization V, FIVE. I tried the other games in the series and didn't really enjoy any of them. During a sale i bought this for around 7 and thought "well, why not give it a try". Bad idea, played for 11 hours on my first day...
Counter Strike: Source Probably the FPS i spent most time in.
Not in any specific order
Half Life 2: This needs no explanation, the atmosphere, gravity gun, graphics, timeless
Witcher 2: Maybe it's not the best RPG ever made but somehow it caught my attention like no other RPG has for quite some time. The quality of the art and graphics made it so that I was completely drawn into the world and enjoyed every single bit of the game.
World of Warcraft: This, by far, was the game where i had the most fun and probably the best gaming experience of my life, something i doubt will change ever.
Terraria: To be honest i don't even know why i find this game so enjoying, i've sunken so many hours into it that it would be a disservice not to include it on my list.
Metro 2033: The amazing atmosphere and graphical fidelity make up for the average controls and story. Great ride
Dragon Age: Origins: Never played the games this was based on but all I know is that i loved this game, from the combat to the story, characters, choices, great great game.
Team Fortress 2: HATS, LOOT
Civilization V: Yes, Civilization V, FIVE. I tried the other games in the series and didn't really enjoy any of them. During a sale i bought this for around 7 and thought "well, why not give it a try". Bad idea, played for 11 hours on my first day...
Counter Strike: Source Probably the FPS i spent most time in.
Not in any specific order
Vampire On Titus
Member
Half Life 2
The Secret of Monkey Island
Team Fortress 2
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Deus Ex
Quake III Arena
Planescape: Torment
Trackmania United Forever
Sam & Max Hit The Road
Crysis
Honorable Mentions: Gemini Rue, The Witcher, The Witcher 2, Mass Effect, Dawn of War II, Quake, Bioshock, Portal, The Next BIG Thing
The Secret of Monkey Island
Team Fortress 2
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Deus Ex
Quake III Arena
Planescape: Torment
Trackmania United Forever
Sam & Max Hit The Road
Crysis
Honorable Mentions: Gemini Rue, The Witcher, The Witcher 2, Mass Effect, Dawn of War II, Quake, Bioshock, Portal, The Next BIG Thing
Minecraft - It is one of the only games I have ever played where your imagination is the limit of what you can do and that is why it is one of my all time favorite games.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 - I played this for hours and hours as a kid... eventually I got too good for the AI (I do love some Prism tanks!) but it was still tons of fun!
Day of Defeat: Source - I could have also put Red Orchestra here, but I love playing DoD when I want an awesome slow paced shooter that can be played for hours and hours. Will probably be replaced with Red Orchestra 2, which is sad because I only got this a little while ago during a sale and I wish I had been introduced to it earlier.
Team Fortress 2 - When i am looking for more fast paced action I look for Team Fortress 2, there is always an enjoyable time to be had with this title!
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - I loved Assassin's Creed II and this game was a great improvement on that title! Everything felt so smooth!
Civilization V - This game gets a bad rap by some, but I prefer it to Civilization IV, if only for the much improved combat (no dot of death! )
Plants vs Zombies - I really don't know what to say about this one except that Popcap is an amazing game developer!
Runescape - I used to love this game, I would play it for hours and hours in middle school and had a lot of fun. Looking back, I don't know how I could stand cutting trees for hundreds of hours on end in order to get a 99 skill... but I played it almost exclusively for two years so it deserves a place on this list.
Half Life 2 - A great single player game.
Lux Delux - I am a big fan of Risk and this is far and away the best version of Risk on the PC! It has a small but dedicated online community, tons of maps and tournaments.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 - I played this for hours and hours as a kid... eventually I got too good for the AI (I do love some Prism tanks!) but it was still tons of fun!
Day of Defeat: Source - I could have also put Red Orchestra here, but I love playing DoD when I want an awesome slow paced shooter that can be played for hours and hours. Will probably be replaced with Red Orchestra 2, which is sad because I only got this a little while ago during a sale and I wish I had been introduced to it earlier.
Team Fortress 2 - When i am looking for more fast paced action I look for Team Fortress 2, there is always an enjoyable time to be had with this title!
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - I loved Assassin's Creed II and this game was a great improvement on that title! Everything felt so smooth!
Civilization V - This game gets a bad rap by some, but I prefer it to Civilization IV, if only for the much improved combat (no dot of death!
)Plants vs Zombies - I really don't know what to say about this one except that Popcap is an amazing game developer!
Runescape - I used to love this game, I would play it for hours and hours in middle school and had a lot of fun. Looking back, I don't know how I could stand cutting trees for hundreds of hours on end in order to get a 99 skill... but I played it almost exclusively for two years so it deserves a place on this list.
Half Life 2 - A great single player game.
Lux Delux - I am a big fan of Risk and this is far and away the best version of Risk on the PC! It has a small but dedicated online community, tons of maps and tournaments.
#Syndicate
I have yet to play a game that has tried to do what Bullfrog did with this title (and it's sequel). I loved the atmosphere, loved the mechanics (for the time) where I could research new weapons and upgrade my agents. Then there was their attempt to try an emulate a living breathing city that you could interact with. Do anything aggressive and the local police force would come after you, citizens would run away etc. I still long for a proper clone or sequel that attempts to do take the original formula and try to take that forward with today's advancements in gameplay (not fps pls). And, the Atlantic Accelerator was a fucking bitch to complete, but you felt like a Titan once you did! This is a game I still go back to every couple of years.
#UFO
Another game that has yet to have a Successful or decent sequel/clone made (apart from TFTD and Apocalypse) after it. Again, for it's time the level of depth and replayability the game offered was unparalleled (apart from maybe civilization). This is a game that had people telling stories of their adventures in this fantastic universe. About how their lone rookie managed to salvage the mission by going rambo on the last few remaining aliens or how successful a raid was on an alien base. Another game that I always have installed and play every couple of years.
#Supreme Commander (This would be my chosen game for the 2 points)
I was tempted to vote for Total Annihilation, but decided to vote for it's spiritual successor. To me, this game was the ULTIMATE RTS you could buy. Graphics were stunning, the level or carnage was awesome, the range of units and structures where staggering and enough to allow a player to vary their tactics if they so choose, 80km squared maps and the Epic battles that followed (had an MP game that lasted 6+ hours with some fantastic epic battles and flanking manoeuvres). Then there was the economy that you had to master and build up efficiently to be able to compete. For a while I considered this to be the Crysis of the RTS genre (a game to benchmark your Rigs performance). To me this will always rank supreme in the RTS genre (bit even it's sequel was able to topple it from my imagined golden throne).
#Diablo 2
Still, in my opinion, one of the best western action-rpg's you can get. Mechanically, it still holds up well against some of the more modern equivalents. Graphically, with some fan mods, can be brought up to modern standards and can still hold it's own. Another game I go back to every couple of years.
#Half-Life 2
I still remember being blown away when I first played this. Being taken in by it's story, the atmosphere and the fact that every new aspect introduced to the player was also new to Gordon too. It Felt like a shared experience. Game was so awesome, I bought it twice through the orange box on the 360.
#Frozen Synapse
I haven't played much of this yet, but from what I have it has amazed me at how repayable and deep this game can be. Couple that with the, hardly seen today, play by email functionality makes this one if those games you can pick up and play, even in between a very busy lifestyle. I love the simplistic approach to the artstyle, being able to 'preview' your moves before you commit them. From what little I have played, this game does more than what alot of the top brass games try to do.
#Defence Grid
I was very LTTP with this game. Bought it last year during one of the many ridiculous Steam sales and only started to play it a few months back. But I loved it. The graphics where great, the charming voice of your companion AI and the game itself just really brought me into its universe. Having played a few other Tower Defence games since, I have yet to play a game that grabbed me as much as this did (Revenge of the Titans is a close second...).
#Homeworld
Do I really need to go into detail on this one? Immersive universe, stunning story (albeit a ripoff of battlestar), EPIC space battles. Lets not forget the excellent, for the time, full 3D camera capable of orbiting the entire area of space you where playing in AND the mod support. Really, what was more awesome than having a fleet of capital ships engaging each other while being swarmed by clouds of fighters dog-figthing each other and performing bombing runs on enemy capital ships. Also, DAT MUSIC!! Was really tempted to use my vote for Homeworld: Cataclysm which was arguably a better game, but it didn't have the same impact and wonder you got from playing the original game for the first time.
#Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
I love the 40k Universe. So rich, diverse and depressive - but in way that sets the stage for these epic battles for survival. Then here we have a game that treated the original lore with a level of respect you rarely see these days and, as such, I loved this game when it came out. It took the groundwork that was laid with the original game and winter assault and upped the ante by introducing a free-flowing campaign that you could play with any race introduced thus far (of which you could further customise by 'painting' your army).IT was such a solid RTS which tried to mix up the usual 'harvesting' formula by introducing control points you had to control in order to accumulate resources (Arguably introduced by the old RTS game 'Z')> It also introduced a cover mechanic which made you think about how you can set up ambushes, hold certain pieces of ground and how to attack. It encouraged players to always be on the offensive and to try to take new ground. But the game was incredibly immersive, stunning animations and awesome finisher moves. I loved the sequel (And all its expansions), but I missed the base building aspect of the original.
#Civilization 4
I think I've played every single civilization game to ever come out and on most platforms too (from the Amiga, PC, 360, DS and my Ipad - although not the Playstation version of civ2), and each one managed to seduce me into losing many hundreds of hours into each title. But, as much as I love Civ 5 at the moment, I think my vote has to go to Civ 4. It's currently the most balanced of the lot, has a large variety of mods available and is my most played version to date. Still have very fond memories of Civ 1 on the Amiga 1200 (AGA version BTW) and CIV 2 on the PC.
I have yet to play a game that has tried to do what Bullfrog did with this title (and it's sequel). I loved the atmosphere, loved the mechanics (for the time) where I could research new weapons and upgrade my agents. Then there was their attempt to try an emulate a living breathing city that you could interact with. Do anything aggressive and the local police force would come after you, citizens would run away etc. I still long for a proper clone or sequel that attempts to do take the original formula and try to take that forward with today's advancements in gameplay (not fps pls). And, the Atlantic Accelerator was a fucking bitch to complete, but you felt like a Titan once you did! This is a game I still go back to every couple of years.
#UFO
Another game that has yet to have a Successful or decent sequel/clone made (apart from TFTD and Apocalypse) after it. Again, for it's time the level of depth and replayability the game offered was unparalleled (apart from maybe civilization). This is a game that had people telling stories of their adventures in this fantastic universe. About how their lone rookie managed to salvage the mission by going rambo on the last few remaining aliens or how successful a raid was on an alien base. Another game that I always have installed and play every couple of years.
#Supreme Commander (This would be my chosen game for the 2 points)
I was tempted to vote for Total Annihilation, but decided to vote for it's spiritual successor. To me, this game was the ULTIMATE RTS you could buy. Graphics were stunning, the level or carnage was awesome, the range of units and structures where staggering and enough to allow a player to vary their tactics if they so choose, 80km squared maps and the Epic battles that followed (had an MP game that lasted 6+ hours with some fantastic epic battles and flanking manoeuvres). Then there was the economy that you had to master and build up efficiently to be able to compete. For a while I considered this to be the Crysis of the RTS genre (a game to benchmark your Rigs performance). To me this will always rank supreme in the RTS genre (bit even it's sequel was able to topple it from my imagined golden throne).
#Diablo 2
Still, in my opinion, one of the best western action-rpg's you can get. Mechanically, it still holds up well against some of the more modern equivalents. Graphically, with some fan mods, can be brought up to modern standards and can still hold it's own. Another game I go back to every couple of years.
#Half-Life 2
I still remember being blown away when I first played this. Being taken in by it's story, the atmosphere and the fact that every new aspect introduced to the player was also new to Gordon too. It Felt like a shared experience. Game was so awesome, I bought it twice through the orange box on the 360.
#Frozen Synapse
I haven't played much of this yet, but from what I have it has amazed me at how repayable and deep this game can be. Couple that with the, hardly seen today, play by email functionality makes this one if those games you can pick up and play, even in between a very busy lifestyle. I love the simplistic approach to the artstyle, being able to 'preview' your moves before you commit them. From what little I have played, this game does more than what alot of the top brass games try to do.
#Defence Grid
I was very LTTP with this game. Bought it last year during one of the many ridiculous Steam sales and only started to play it a few months back. But I loved it. The graphics where great, the charming voice of your companion AI and the game itself just really brought me into its universe. Having played a few other Tower Defence games since, I have yet to play a game that grabbed me as much as this did (Revenge of the Titans is a close second...).
#Homeworld
Do I really need to go into detail on this one? Immersive universe, stunning story (albeit a ripoff of battlestar), EPIC space battles. Lets not forget the excellent, for the time, full 3D camera capable of orbiting the entire area of space you where playing in AND the mod support. Really, what was more awesome than having a fleet of capital ships engaging each other while being swarmed by clouds of fighters dog-figthing each other and performing bombing runs on enemy capital ships. Also, DAT MUSIC!! Was really tempted to use my vote for Homeworld: Cataclysm which was arguably a better game, but it didn't have the same impact and wonder you got from playing the original game for the first time.
#Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
I love the 40k Universe. So rich, diverse and depressive - but in way that sets the stage for these epic battles for survival. Then here we have a game that treated the original lore with a level of respect you rarely see these days and, as such, I loved this game when it came out. It took the groundwork that was laid with the original game and winter assault and upped the ante by introducing a free-flowing campaign that you could play with any race introduced thus far (of which you could further customise by 'painting' your army).IT was such a solid RTS which tried to mix up the usual 'harvesting' formula by introducing control points you had to control in order to accumulate resources (Arguably introduced by the old RTS game 'Z')> It also introduced a cover mechanic which made you think about how you can set up ambushes, hold certain pieces of ground and how to attack. It encouraged players to always be on the offensive and to try to take new ground. But the game was incredibly immersive, stunning animations and awesome finisher moves. I loved the sequel (And all its expansions), but I missed the base building aspect of the original.
#Civilization 4
I think I've played every single civilization game to ever come out and on most platforms too (from the Amiga, PC, 360, DS and my Ipad - although not the Playstation version of civ2), and each one managed to seduce me into losing many hundreds of hours into each title. But, as much as I love Civ 5 at the moment, I think my vote has to go to Civ 4. It's currently the most balanced of the lot, has a large variety of mods available and is my most played version to date. Still have very fond memories of Civ 1 on the Amiga 1200 (AGA version BTW) and CIV 2 on the PC.